1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a bottle cap, combined with an opening of a bottle for opening or closing the opening and, in particular, to a bottle cap for vacuum preservation which can open or close an opening of a bottle or a vessel and easily create a vacuum in the bottle or vessel to preserve contents under vacuum, thereby storing contents in a fresh state for a long period.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, a vessel used to store contents comprises a cap for closing an opening of the vessel, and may have various shapes and consist of various materials.
The cap combined with the vessel plays a role in opening or closing the opening of the vessel and preventing contents in the vessel from flowing out. In the case of goods stored in the vessel, once the vessel is opened, the vessel is no longer maintained under desirable vacuum even though the cap is again plugged into or tightened to the opening of the vessel.
For example, when liquid containing a scent is stored in a bottle, the scent is released as soon as the bottle is opened, and the scent is dissipated in air flowing into the bottle even though a bottle cap is again plugged into or tightened to the opening of the bottle. Accordingly, the liquid containing the scent does not remain intact in the bottle after first opening the bottle because the scent is released from the bottle, and the liquid, for example, wine, is deteriorated in terms of taste and scent, and drugs are oxidized because of air introduced into the bottle.
Much effort has been made to avoid the above disadvantages. For example, reference may be made to the device which has been made by the inventor of the present invention, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0221637, which discloses a bottle cap comprising an air control valve for introducing air into a bottle by pressure or for releasing air in the bottle using a vacuum pump, a cylindrical cap part plugged in a bottle inlet, and a guide protruded from a plate on which the valve is mounted.
In other words, the bottle cap comprises a cap main body having the cap part plugged in the bottle inlet and the air control valve for introducing or releasing air.
The air control valve for introducing or releasing air comprises a hemispherical cover having a penetration hole for introducing or releasing air, a press button penetrating through the cover and having a protruded press rod positioned at the center thereof, a sealing tube airtightly combining the cover with the cap main body and having an air hole for introducing or releasing air, and a shielding plate for opening or closing the air hole in accordance with an operation of the press button.
A button receiving part for receiving the press button is positioned at the center of the hemispherical cover, a rod penetration hole through which the press rod of the press button penetrates is positioned on a bottom of the button receiving part, and a breathing hole for passing air therethrough is positioned around the rod penetration hole.
The shielding plate consists of an elastic material such as rubber, and a pocket-shaped insertion part having a press rod insertion hole in which the press rod of the press button is inserted is positioned at the center of the shielding plate.
The sealing tube consisting of a soft silicone comprises a first part with an expanded diameter covering the button receiving part in the hemispherical cover, a second part with a contracted diameter extended to the cap main body, and a partition positioned between the first part with the expanded diameter and the second part with the contracted diameter. The partition has a penetration hole through which the insertion part penetrates, with a plurality of air holes for introducing or releasing air formed in the partition.
The cap main body having the air control valve for introducing or releasing air comprises a receiving part, positioned at the center thereof to receive the air control valve, and a ring-shaped guide, positioned in the receiving part and protruded from the plate so as to be in contact with an outer and an inner wall of the second part of the sealing tube.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of a procedure of storing contents in the bottle under vacuum using the bottle cap, below.
In the first place, the bottle cap is pressed in such a way that the cap part of the bottle cap is plugged into a bottle inlet, and the vacuum pump is positioned in a press button region of the air control valve. Air in the bottle is then sucked by the pump to separate the shielding plate from the partition of the sealing tube to open the air hole of the tube, and released through the air hole, thereby creating a vacuum in the bottle.
When it is desired to draw the contents from the bottle, the press button of the air control valve is pressed to introduce air into the bottle in a reverse procedure of vacuumizing the bottle. At this time, the bottle cap is readily separated from the bottle by just pulling the bottle cap.
This patent is advantageous in that the air control valve for introducing or releasing air is formed in the bottle cap, thus freshly storing contents in the bottle under vacuum for a long period.
However, this conventional bottle cap is disadvantageous in that the bottle is pumped using a separate pump for creating a vacuum in the bottle, and the pump is not integrated with the vessel.
Meanwhile, a vessel provided with an air control valve for introducing or releasing air has been suggested, but it is inconvenient to use a separate pump like the conventional bottle cap.
Therefore, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above disadvantages occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bottle cap for vacuum preservation, which can create a vacuum in a vessel without using a separate pump.
Based on the present invention, the object can be accomplished by a provision of a bottle cap for vacuum preservation, comprising a cap main body consisting of a cylindrical cap tube inserted in a vessel, and a holder part extended from an end, located at a vessel inlet, of the cap tube; a piston airtightly inserted in the cap main body and axially sliding along the cap main body to release air in the vessel; and a valve member positioned in an end, located in the vessel, of the cap main body. The holder part is bent in such a way that its bent part is parallel to the cap tube, and the valve member opens and closes an air hole for introducing and releasing air in the vessel according to movement of the piston.
The bottle cap preferably comprises a cylindrical combination part downwardly extended from a holder part; and an outer casing covering the cap tube while being combined with the cylindrical combination part. The outer casing is provided with a penetration hole for introducing or releasing air at a region adjacent the holder part.
The holder part is threaded on an inner wall thereof, thus being readily screwed on a threaded bottle.
The holder part may consist of soft silicone, thereby being easily combined with a bottle mouth.
The valve member preferably comprises a valve cap having an air hole for introducing or releasing air, and a valve body, mounted on the valve cap to open or close the air hole for introducing or releasing air according to movement of the piston. The valve cap is combined with an end, located in the bottle, of the cap tube in such a way that the valve cap closes the cap tube.